A rare teadust-glazed double-gourd vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong | 清乾隆　茶葉末釉綬帶耳葫蘆瓶　《大清乾隆年製》款

A Japanese private collection.

Kochukyo Co., Ltd, Tokyo.

Kinsei Chugoku meito ten [Exhibition of famous Chinese ceramics of recent times], Ceramic Society of Japan, Nihonbashi Shirakiya, Tokyo, 1962, cat. no. 106.

Chugoku Min Shin bijutsu ten mokuroku [Exhibition catalogue of Chinese arts of the Ming and Qing periods], Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1963, cat. no. 442.

Toyo no toji [Eastern ceramics], Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1971, cat. no. 127.

Special Exhibition. Chinese Ceramics, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 1994, cat. no. 335.

5th Anniversary Exhibition. All-Stars of the Okada Collection: Masterworks of Korin, Jakuchu, Hokusai and the Ru Ware Kilns, Okada Museum of Art, Hakone, 2018-19, exh. no. 153 (unillustrated).

Kobayashi Tadashi, ed., Masterpieces of the Okada Museum of Art, vol. 1, Tokyo, 2013, no. 40.

Tea-dust glaze​​ originated in the Tang dynasty, initially produced by kilns in northern China specialising in black wares. Subsequent dynasties continued its manufacture, referring to it as Changguan you. By the Yongzheng period of the Qing dynasty, Tang Ying, the imperial kiln supervisor at Jingdezhen, successfully replicated this glaze through meticulous experimentation. It garnered particular favour with the emperor, who issued an edict instructing Tang Ying to ​​“refine the glaze composition to achieve utmost elegance.”​​ Thus, it became a prestigious monochrome glaze of the Yongzheng era. The glaze exhibits a mingling of yellow and green hues, resembling the fine particles of tea leaves, hence its name. Production continued into the Qianlong reign, during which both the glaze colouration and vessel forms reached an exceptional level of artistry.

In Tao Cheng Ji Shi, Tang Ying still referred to this glaze as ​​"Changguan glaze"​​ , further classifying it into three subtypes: ​​"eel-yellow"​​ , ​​"snakeskin-green"​​ , and ​​"yellow-speckled"​​ . The Qing dynasty connoisseur Jiyuan Sou (Chen Liu) observed in Tao Ya that Tea-dust glaze ​​"blends yellow and green in a captivating yet refined manner, more vibrant than flowers, more exquisite than jade. When fashioned into vases, it particularly nourishes the eyes."​

The present vase features two spherical sections ingeniously connected by ribbon-shaped handles to form a double-gourd shape, echoing the concept of ​​"Heaven and Earth in Harmonious Union"​​ from the Classic of Changes, symbolising prosperous fortune and auspicious blessings. Among extant teadust-glaze double-gourd vases, most exhibit a more elongated waist and upper section, differing from the present form. This relatively compressed form of the current piece is exceptionally rare; a comparable example is published on p. 358 of Ryusen Shūhō(Collected Elegance of Longquan) by Mayuyama & Co., Ltd., Tokyo, potentially being the very same piece, highlighting its extraordinary scarcity.

來源

日本私人收藏

壺中居，東京

展覽

《近世中國名陶展》，日本陶磁協會，日本橋白木屋，東京， 1962年，編號106

《中国明清美術展目録》，東京國立博物館，東京，1963年，編號442

《東洋の陶磁》，東京國立博物館，東京，1971年，編號127

《特別展—中国の陶磁》，東京國立博物館，東京，1994年，編號335

《開館5周年記念展―美のスターたち―光琳．若冲．北斎．汝窯など名品勢ぞろい》， 岡田美術館，箱根，2018-19年，展覽編號153（沒載圖）

出版

小林忠編，《岡田美術館名品撰》，卷1，東京，2013年，編號40

茶葉末釉源於唐朝，是北方燒黑釉的窰場，以後各朝均有燒製，稱廠官釉。時至清雍正，景德鎮御窰廠督陶官唐英成功仿燒，並深得皇帝青睞，諭旨唐英「配釉務求精雅」，成為雍正朝明貴的單色釉。因釉色黃、綠摻雜，類似茶葉細末，故名之曰「茶葉末」。乾隆朝延續燒造，釉色、造型均達至極高水準。

唐英《陶成紀事》中，仍稱此釉色為「廠官釉」，並細分為「鱔魚黃、蛇皮綠、黃斑點」三種。 清代寂園叟（陳瀏）《陶雅》曰：茶葉末釉「黃雜綠色，嬌娆而不俗，艷於花，美如玉，范為瓶，最養目」。

本器上下兩圓，以綬帶為耳巧妙連結成葫蘆形狀，呼應了《易經》「天地交，泰」的說法，寓意時運亨通、吉祥如意。傳世品中所見茶葉末釉葫蘆瓶型態與本器略異，器腰及葫蘆上部修長。本器扁圓式葫蘆瓶式樣寥若晨星，惟見日本繭山龍泉堂出版《龍泉集芳》，頁358一例，也有可能就是同一件，甚為珍罕。